Robert b



NFETERS, PHOO-LITHOGRAPKEFL WASHINGTON. D. C.

tanned-states @sind (attire ROBERT I5. ITOR]? ES,` 0F BOSTON`MASSACHUSETTS.

Letters Patent No. 96,789, dated November lli, 1869.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

Beit known that I, RoEnT li, Fonnns, ot' Boston, in the Commonwealth ot' Massachusetts, have invented a Anew and useful System ofAdjustiug and Arranging the Sails, Spars, and Rigging of Ships; and I do hereby declare that the following is a t'ull, clear, and exact description of thc same and its construction and operation, reference being had to the annexed drawings, which make a part of this specification.

.In this drawing the letters represent the different articles in the improvement, viz:

A represents the leading-lines or j ack-stays, by which `the sails are conducted 'to their fui-ling or reefng-loby its foot or longest side, to battens orother usual and convenient means, to the yards next below them, instead of bending, by the head or upper edge, to the yards next above, as is usually done.

Second, the yards, except-ing the upper oneof all,.

are slung and parreled to their respective masts,` above the eyes ot' the rig 1ring and back-stays, and above' the fore-and-aft stays, instead of below,\as is usual y done.

Third, the sails thus bent lare furled and reet'ed by being lowered or dropped to or toward their respective yards, and in case of the courses, toward the deck, instead o' being raised, as ismsually done. They are raised by being triced up by the heads to yards nextv l above, instead of being shceted home to the yards next below.

Various Achanges in the usual adjustment and arrangement of spars, yards, rigging, and sails are required to practically apply my said invention.

For example: The lower yards, top-sail yards, and top-gallant sail yards are slung permanently to their respective mast-sand do not hoist up and down. The drawings, at E and F, show my system of slinging and parreling these yards to their masts.

The sails are conducted or led to and from the yards whereto they are triced up to and from the yards, where they arc'bent, or are furled by means of rings, bullseyes, or other appliances, running ou jack-stays, A, iny

the drawings, iu red ink. These jack-stays are fast ened to the yard, one end upon one and the other upon the other, and arranged to bc loosened on the yard, to accommodate the bracing the ditierent yards upon different planes. rIhey may be placed before and abaft the sails, and in heavy ships, I recommend their use in both places. \Vhen the tricing-penuants are let go, thc sails run down on these jack-stays by means of said rings, to or toward their foot, and are ready for reefing or furling. In hoisting, they are led to their places in thc same manner.

0n the heads of all the sails tthus bent by the foot, and on the heads of the courses, and at the middle thereof, are attached spars, B, of any convenient length, so placed as to allow aspacc, C, in the drawings, between the yard next above and the said spars, ot' about one foot. This will permit the bracing the yards without chating by the stays. 'lake a piece, of the shape and size required, out of the head of the sail, at theI middle, and attach the spar to th'e sail at thebottom ot the space thus made. 'Ihus the space O is produced.

It will also be best in using my arrangement, to have the masts more nearly plumb than usual, andthe stays should lead as nearly horizontal as may be, iu View of the adequate support of the masts.

I dispense with the heavy sheets and ties usually required in setting the sails, and also with the heavy foot-ropes which are used when the largest side ofthe sail is sheeted homo by the clews.

At the foot of the courses are attached spars, ot' nearly the space between the rails abreast ot' the respective masts; and the courses are lowered to or towardthe deck for rceting and furling, instead of being hauled up by clew-garnets or other ropes to or toward their yards. l l

' The use of spars at the foot of the courses I do not claim as new. They have been used before, especially on English coasters; but I do claim the use of them in connection with my said system of reeng and furling and working the courses, by lowering instead of hoisting, and of conducting them`on jack-stays.

The. tricig-lines whereby my sails are hauled up 1n ust be-led along the yards toward the slings, so as not to cramp the yards in bracing. v

rlhe lower and top-sail yards in my system arehung to the lower masts, andare entirely independent of thc pole-masts. In Steamers, this is an important feature, as the pole-masts should always be abaft, and ready to house at will. The sails should have a band running from near thc middle, at .their heads, diagonally to their lower corners. This baud is represented at I, in the drawings.

In operation, my system is made to work as follows.: The yards are parreled and slung tothe masts by the parrels E, and the slings F, above the eyes of the rigging and back-stays, and above the foe-and-aft stays.

The sails are bent to the yards next below them, and the courses are attached to these spars, both by their foot, and the spars B are attached to the heads of' the sails and the courses, so as to make the space C. The stays H afford the usual support, and the tackles 1), f'or manipulating the courses, are made to accommodate the change between my courses and those in use.

lf' it is proposed to lower the sailsor courses for reeling or f'urling, the trieing-lines are loosened or let go, the downhauls G are drawn upon, and the sails drop down to the point desired, guided by the jackstays A. On the other hand, to set the sails, the downhauls must be loosened, or go, and the sails drawn up by the trieing-lines to the desired position.

1n working this system, it will be seen the top-sails are furled by going no higher than the lower yards, the top-gallant sails by going to the top-sail yard, and the royals, where there is a Sky-sail, by going to the top-gallant yards.

1n this rigging, I believe the sails will set flatter, and can he more easily taken in, reef'ed, and furled than in any other. 'lhe yards can also be braced much sharper.

Un long voyages, in latitudes where fine weather per. mits, for a long time the heads of' the sails can be temporarily bent to the yards at their heads, if desired, and thus the sails on any given mast will more nearly approximate to a single and continuous sheet of canvas. Also, my courses maybe hauled up in cahns and light winds as usual, if required.

If studding-sails are to be used, the booms must be run in and out along the lower after-quarters oi' the yards, as is new done in some shi ps,or directly on top.

There are in this system practically no top-masts,as`

the top-sails are confined and set upon the lower mastheads, so that, in eli'ect, the movable masts, fiddlcd abai't the lower masts, Aare really pole toprallant, and royal, and sometimes sky-sail masts, and not pole topmasts. But thisl mode of arranging masts has been long known, and as, I think, originated with me, as f'ar back as 1843 or 1,844.

ln my arrangementof the sails, I should recommend that the sails should be convertible to various places, so, also, the yards; that is to say, the main top-sail yard should be of the same length as the f`ore-yard,

the reefing-tackle letv the main top-gallant yard the same as the fore topsail and the cross-jack yard, the main royal the same as the fore top-gallant and the mizeu top-sail yard, and the sails, althoughdifering in weight, may be used in like manner in various places, but this is not necessary.

It will be observed, that while I dispense with the regular top and top-mast rigging, as commonly arranged, I have mast-head shrouds to do the duty of top-mast rigging more elieetually, and I have Jacobladders running up from a platform, so that the men may have a hauling-place, and also means to go aloft.

It will be seen that the uppermost sail of all in my system must be bent as usual by the head to the yard above.

I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The bending of the square sails of vessels by the foot to thek yards next below, in such manner that they can be reefed and furled without starting the foot, and without lowering the yard above.

2. Spars attached to the foot of courses, in combination with courses arranged to reef and furl, as herein described, y

3. Slinging and parreling the yards of' vessels to their masts above the eyes ofl the rigging and backstays, and above the fore-and-alt stays.

4. J ack-stays arranged before or abaft the sails, for conduct-ing them to their positions.

5. 'lhe arrangement i'or reeting and furling sails and courses, without starting the foot, and without lowering the yard above, consisting of' yards slung and parreled to the masts above, instead oi' below the eyes of the rigging and back-stays and fore-andaft stays, sails bent by the foot, courses attached by the f'oot to spars, and coming down on deck to furl and reef', and jack-stays for-conducting the sails.

6. Attaching spars to the head of the sails bent by the foot.

7. The space C, in combination with square sails, bent at the foot, as described.

R. B. FORBES. Witnesses WILLIAM STANDISH, E. F. HoDGEs. 

